"Search left! I'll look right!" Was the last thing Ko told Loh as both ikrans flew opposite different directions.
She didn't realize how huge this hunting area was, it was not delimited by reefs like the home was so all the ocean this way could be considered that.
She stared into the water, looking for anything, she didn't even know how a skimwing looked like but she could assume from the name that it wasn't a big whale.
She flew looking when red flashed underneath her and she span Árnyék around, seeing something else then what she wanted, another of the big red crested whales.
She flew the ikran down near and it emerged from the water, looking at her curiously.
"Are you a tulkun?" She asked and the big creature answered like the other she met did, earth-like whale noises. "The Metkayina asked me to help you, a skimwing causing trouble with them and you guys. I can stop it from hurting you if you can tell me where it is."
It threw itself out of the water in elation, splashing big and drenching the ikran and his rider before it surfaced, sharing some really important info.
This tulkun was part of a huge pod of them and was actually patrolling an area with many of its brothers and sisters, trying to actually peacefully restrict the area that dangerous beast was in, being the biggest of their pod, taking up the role of trying to keep them safe.
"How long have you been here?" She asked softly, answer heartbreaking, many weeks where they kept patrolling, their kin bringing them food, sleepless days, all to ensure no else would be injured and die.
"So I'll find it somewhere here?" It answered positively, Ko could see through the surface of the water many fresh but healing wounds on the space whale, tulkun don't fight but they have their ways of scaring the beast away from escaping even if it put them in great danger. "Great, keep this area secured, I'll take care of it." It told her to be careful and she just grinned back. "I am not the one to back off from a challenge."
Árnyék veered to the left, flying up so she could look from higher as she flew with him, the area was still big but muuuch smaller then a whole ocean.
It took a bit of time to find it and she only did because a large winged and grey skinned creature was flung out of the water, it had the head of an earth crocodile with bloody holes through the half crushed skull and before it could splatter in the water again a larger similar maw rose from the water, clamping around it and flung it down in the water, dragging it below, leaving a pool of red blood.
"There we go." Ko hissed, if that smaller one was an average skimwing. this bigger one was just twice and a half times bigger but still, the smaller one is already quite a big size, probably the average ikran's size.
Árnyék circled the area from higher up as Ko waited for another glance of the creature.
"There!" She saw the being clearly as it swam near the surface, the grey-blue she saw on the other creature looked like molten red on this and the orange wings of the other were black and dark grey and dark blue.
(Like the inverse of the colors almost I guess?)
Árnyék hissed at the idea but dove down, casting a shadow down.
Ko put her legs on his back and took a leaping jump downwards head first.
She put her hands out, it was a small fall into the water but at high speeds so it felt like the water whipped her across the face as she fell in with a loud smack, hands grabbing what she could reach, lucky her, it was one of the antenna on its head.... Unlucky her, she actually grabbed the being.
It instantly shot out like a torpedo, wings yanked to its side, shooting through the water at great speeds.
Ko had trouble holding on with one hand and the water drag pulling her down.
She tried to grab on with her second hand bu--Shtunk!
She dropped that hand with a cry, bubbles going up, grabbing her head, looking at the part of the reef she zoomed by that was now crumbled, smacked through with her head.
She bite her tongue, spinning on herself and grabbed on the wing joint, this time ducking the other reef growths the beast trying to knock her into.
She threw her arm up and grabbed the second partial antenna and pulled, hooking her knee on the joint and then the same with the other leg, trying to keep close but more drag was created, her arms feeling sore as they fought against this.
She grabbed the top of its head, the bone-y part right above the eyes and anchored her fingers there before looping her other arm around the surprisingly thinner neck then she thought, grabbing on her own elbow and pulling back with all her strength.
In many beings, humans included, where the head goes, the body follows, so as she craned the head of the beast back, its body arched towards the surface.
The creature broke the water surface with hiss, Ko gasped for a breath before they hit the water again, the creature twisting its body, dragging her under.
She tried pulling it up but it twisted its body, smacking her off of the surprisingly shallow bottom of the area, swimming away between the reefs.
Ko swam to put herself the right away up, looking around between the swarms of the little aquatic creatures and the lively underwater plants and reef.
She looked around, floating there, seeing whips of blood floating in the water making her touch her head again, probably having gotten a cut from one of the impacts.
She knew now that she angered the creature that it wouldn't let it go.
A swarm of smaller fish surrounded her as they swam at the breakneck speeds they could, causing her to turn around moments before complete disaster, staring down a thin maw filled with teeth, once again throwing out her hands.
Her left hand propped the top of the jaw open and the right was on the bottom one.
She hissed in pain but kept the air in her closed mouth this time, the jaws pressing hard, having to lean her hand on her shoulder and press her knee on the other to keep the maw open as the teeth pressed and pierced into the flesh of her hands.
It kept up the speed, ramming her back through a stronger coral growth and slamming her into a rock.
She gasped, cussing as once again bubble rose towards the surface.
She pushed up on the rock fast as the skimwing scrapped its teeth on it, having gone in to bite her again but now she was higher, swimming up.
She looked down at the approaching sea monster before she was plucked from the water.
She coughed as her dark shadow had opted that an injury was worth her life, back paws and its claws sunk deep into her shoulder while he yanked her from the water as the red beast jumped out of the water with its speed, snapping its jaws shut with a loud smack.
Ko grabbed the ikran's leg in pain, watching the creature almost fly after them, wings open and gliding fast over the water, only its tail in it for propulsion.
She looked over her shoulder, the antenna of the ikran held towards her and she grabbed it, he let go the moment she did, blood rolling down her torso as the claws pulled free.
He chirped in pain as she used her hands to climb on his back and stand on it, almost a feral grin on her face.
"A worthy opponent for a Spartan aren't you?" She said, running down the back of the ikran and jumping towards the beast.
She pulled her hand back, punching down on the opening maw, making it snap its head down by the force and Ko tumble down its back but grab on the wing, causing the creature to fly sideways and splash back in the water.
She pulled on her arm, barely avoiding stabbing herself with the dorsal spines it has.
This time the beast surfaced by itself, trying to throw her off again but that was its mistake, shifting her hold to the antenna as she grabbed her braid.
Her hold almost slipped when entering the water again, blood and the water drag making it hard, holding on so hard that the grip itself might be hurting the creature as she pulled the end of her braid and held on the braided hair part with her teeth, using her other hand to grab on again, pulled herself in a previous hold, grabbing the head and looping her arms around the neck of it but this time grabbing the tip of the maw and wrenching it back, causing an instant shift of direction, shooting straight up like a geyser.
In hurry, she shifted her hold, bending back to grab the antenna and the queue, holding them together as the beast landed on its back so her hitting water first.
She hurt herself by squeezing on both her hands, it helped her stay on as she was whipped around but she was holding her queue still.
Stop!
The beast made an underwater roar, shaking its head but slowled its fast swim.
She pulled herself on, a hand on each antenna and knees around the wing joint and made it surface.
She sighed, breathing in some welcome air.
Now that she had more time to look it over she saw many saddening sights, some gnarly scars ripping through the flesh of this creature, one of the tips of his antenna torn off, not letting it bond with anything, the top maw had a part where flesh gave away to bone, the flesh having been completely ripped off.
She looked behind her, some of the dorsal spines were huge but many spots missed them, as if they were pulled out, the wings having healed and none healed tears in in them and holes too.
The creature was seething in anger but the stronger one is king and it had just lost this battle of will.
"So much anger." Ko said, patting its.... Her head. "What caused you such anguish that you became like this?"
She shook her head once to push Ko's hand off, floating in the water almost still.
"Let me help sooth the pain, others don't need to die because you hurt, let me help." She whispered to it.
And like how she understood all of creations now, she could understand the mind of this creature, seeing the horrid experiments humans put it through, the abuse it suffered, the chemicals, the electroshocks, the...
"I am sorry.... But that is no reason to make anyone suffer like you did, you have the right to be angry but you just can't, it is mothers losing their children, others losing their friends.... Such pain gives you no reason to act out... I was also hurt and made mistakes that cost me my sister, don't be that reason for someone."
She was still seething, the face of one human, of the area, still as fresh as she day she was freed.
Ko looked up towards where the memory of the creature pulled towards.